Nicholas Aaron Young (born June 1, 1985), nicknamed "Swaggy P", is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

and was a two-time first-team all-conference selection in the

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

. Young was selected by the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft with the 16th overall pick. He won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

with the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in 2018.

High school career

Born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, Young played for Cleveland High School in suburban

Reseda, California Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its central business district started developing in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years. Earthquakes ...

. He averaged 27.2 points and 10.8 rebounds as a 2004 senior at Cleveland, earning 2004 CIF L.A. City Section, Los Angeles Times All-City and San Fernando Valley first team honors. He shot 57.3% from the field and 46.8% from three-point range (52-of-111), had 48 steals and 41 blocks as Cleveland finished 25–4. Young was tabbed the seventh-best player in the country by HoopScoop and listed by prep basketball guru Frank Burlison as among the Top 50 recruits in 2004. He once scored 56 points in one game and had 23 rebounds in another. He earned CIF L.A. City Section first team honors in 2003 and was included in a list of Top Seniors by ''

Athlon Sports Parade Media (previously known as AMG/Parade and Athlon Media Group) is a publisher founded in 1967 that is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's Spencer Hays was its majority stockholder. It was purchased by The Arena Group in 2022 and now ...

'' heading into 2004.

College career

Young played for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

from 2004 to 2007 and was All-Pac-10 First Team in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Young led the fifth-seeded Trojans to a berth in the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to the one-seeded

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

, 74–64. Along the way, Young led USC to a 77–60 first-round win against Arkansas. In the 2nd round, Young led the team with 22 points over the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

in an 87–68 rout of the team featuring the National Player of the Year,

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

, though Durant led both teams in scoring with 30. As expected, following his junior season, Young announced on April 15, 2007, to the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' that he would forgo his senior year to turn professional and enter the 2007 NBA Draft, where he was selected with the 16th overall pick by the

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2007–2012)

Young was selected 16th overall by the

in the 2007 NBA draft. He started his first career NBA game on December 15, 2007, against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

On January 9, 2010, Young was fined $10,000 by the Washington Wizards for participating in antics before a game on January 5, 2010, against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...

was being investigated for a prior incident involving guns in the Wizards' locker room, but made light of the accusations by pointing his finger at his teammates, as if he were shooting them. His teammates were photographed smiling and laughing with him. Young scored a career-high 43 points on January 11, 2011, against the

Los Angeles Clippers (2012)

On March 15, 2012, Young was traded to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

in a three-way trade involving the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

and

. Later, on April 16, 2012, he helped the Clippers clinch their first playoff berth in 6 years with a 19-point performance against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. He was also a key part of the Clippers' comeback victory against the Memphis Grizzlies in game one of the first round of the 2012 playoffs, making three three-pointers in under a minute.

Philadelphia 76ers (2012–2013)

On July 12, 2012, Young signed with the

to a one-year deal.

Los Angeles Lakers (2013–2017)

On July 11, 2013, Young signed with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. During the 2013–14 season, he converted a Lakers-record seven

four-point play In basketball, a four-point play is the rare occasion when an offensive player shoots and makes a three-point field goal while simultaneously being fouled by a defensive player, resulting in a shooting foul and one free throw attempt, or a two-po ...

s while averaging a career-high 17.9 points per game. On July 21, 2014, Young re-signed with Lakers to a reported four-year, $21.5 million contract. During training camp, he suffered a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb, and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. After missing the first ten games of the season with the injury, Young made his season debut on November 18 against the Atlanta Hawks, recording 17 points and 5 rebounds in a 114–109 win. On December 12, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 112–110 win over the San Antonio Spurs. On November 30, 2016, Young was ruled out for two to four weeks due to a strained right calf muscle. On December 17, 2016, he made eight three-pointers and scored a season-high 32 points in a 119–108 loss to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Between late December and early January, Young's burst from long range gave him 36 three-pointers in eight games—the most in an eight-game stretch in Lakers franchise history. On April 2, 2017, after being held out of 11 of the previous 12 games despite being healthy, Young was shut down by the Lakers for the last five regular-season games. On June 21, 2017, the Lakers announced that Young elected not to exercise his option to extend his contract for the 2017–18 season, thus becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Golden State Warriors (2017–2018)

On July 7, 2017, Young signed with the

. In his debut for the Warriors in their season opener on October 17, 2017, Young came off the bench to hit six 3-pointers and score 23 points in a 122–121 loss to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. He helped the Warriors reach the

2018 NBA Finals The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champio ...

, where they defeated the

in a four-game sweep, with Young winning his first NBA championship.

Denver Nuggets (2018)

On December 10, 2018, Young signed with the

. Twenty days later, on December 30, he was waived by the Nuggets, after appearing in only four games.

3x3 basketball career

Enemies (2021–)

On April 18, 2021, Young signed with the Enemies of the

Big3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international playe ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, 75 , , 2 , , 15.4 , , .439 , , .400 , , .815 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 5 , , 22.4 , , .444 , , .341 , , .850 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 23 , , 19.2 , , .418 , , .406 , , .800 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 40 , , 31.8 , , .441 , , .387 , , .816 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 32 , , 30.3 , , .406 , , .371 , , .862 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 22 , , 3 , , 23.5 , , .394 , , .353 , , .821 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 59 , , 17 , , 23.9 , , .413 , , .357 , , .820 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 64 , , 9 , , 28.3 , , .435 , , .386 , , .825 , , 2.6 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , .2 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 0 , , 23.8 , , .366 , , .369 , , .892 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 54 , , 2 , , 19.1 , , .339 , , .325 , , .829 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 60 , , 25.9 , , .430 , , .404 , , .856 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 80 , , 8 , , 17.4 , , .412 , , .377 , , .862 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .333 , , .375 , , .000 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , .3 , , 2.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 720 , , 201 , , 22.8 , , .418 , , .376 , , .836 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .2 , , 11.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .111 , , .000 , , .750 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 11 , , 0 , , 18.2 , , .433 , , .515 , , .889 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .3 , , .4 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

† , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 20 , , 2 , , 10.3 , , .302 , , .298 , , .750 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 2 , , 12.1 , , .357 , , .378 , , .833 , , .7 , , .2 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;",

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, 29 , , 24 , , 25.7 , , .441 , , .315 , , .644 , , 4.1 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 30 , , 33.9 , , .467 , , .333 , , .801 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 36 , , 33.2 , , .525 , , .440 , , .786 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 96 , , 90 , , 31.1 , , .483 , , .368 , , .764 , , 5.1 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , 15.5

Boxing career

On September 10, 2022 Young made his boxing debut against

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

star Malcom Minikon in an exhibition bout as the co-feature on the Austin McBroom vs. AnEsonGib at the

Banc of California Stadium Banc of California Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC and the National Women's Soccer League's Angel City FC. Opened on A ...

. The bout ended as a no contest after an accidental

headbutt A headbutt is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...

was performed by Minikon.

Personal life

In 2007, Young became the main subject of a documentary titled ''Second Chance Season'', in which his exploits, shortcomings, and successes are reviewed. Young's nickname is "Swaggy P", which he said is a pseudo-biblical reference to "the Prophet of Swag".

Relationships and family

Young is the cousin of

Kevon Looney Kevon Grant Looney (born February 6, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a freshman playing college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, he earned secon ...

, who is an NBA player. They became teammates with the Warriors in 2017–18. Young is also a cousin of rappers

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

and

Baby Keem Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. He initially gained major recognition following the release of his single "Orange Soda", from his second mixtape ''Di ...

. Young has been in an

on-again, off-again relationship An on-again, off-again relationship (also known as an on–off or off–on relationship) is a form of personal relationship between two persons who keep breaking up only to reconcile afterwards, thus repeating a cycle. Researcher Kale Monk, an a ...

with his high school sweetheart, Keonna Green, since 2002. They have three children together: two sons (born in 2012 and 2019) and a daughter (born in 2016). They became engaged in 2019. Young and Australian rapper

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...

announced their engagement on June 1, 2015. Azalea broke off their engagement a year later after a video of Young discussing how he was having an affair with another woman surfaced. After Azalea broke off her engagement to Young, Green confirmed that she was 22 weeks pregnant with their daughter.

References

External links

Nick Young
at usctrojans.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Nick 1985 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles Big3 players Denver Nuggets players Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players People from the San Fernando Valley Philadelphia 76ers players Shooting guards Small forwards USC Trojans men's basketball players Washington Wizards draft picks Washington Wizards players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players